"Come, Balerion."
Balerion flew to Gendry's hand, and Gendry drew the black dragon close by the tail. They seemed connected by blood, bound by some wordless pact. The black dragon could sense his bloodline and feel his position at close range. Perhaps this was the flame in the blood. To a dragon, Gendry felt like a great blaze as well.
Gendry slowly stroked the dragon's black scales, from its horns to its neck, then along its leathery wings and tail. Balerion's scales were scalding hot, like armor left beneath the blazing sun, giving off waves of heat. At night, one could even see them shimmer.
"Hiss! Hiss!" Balerion shrieked loudly, but in the end, he yielded to Gendry's will.
Balerion was covered in black scales, but his eyes, horns, and the spines along his back were blood-red. He had always been the largest of the three dragons. The white dragon Viserion flew low beside Gendry, then settled at his feet.
Red eyes, Gendry thought, looking into Balerion's eyes. The black dragon's eyes burned a hellish red. Gendry met his gaze directly.
If one meant to pet a cat, it was best to start early. The same was true of dragons. Balerion was the wildest and most combative of the dragons, and he would obey only the strong and fearless. Raising a dragon and riding one were two different stages. The black dragon and the green dragon both carried a deep wildness. They had to be trained properly, or they would cause great panic.
"All right, Vhagar. We will do better next time." Daenerys held the green dragon Vhagar in her arms. Vhagar's scales were emerald and bronze, a deep green like moss in a forest at dusk. The scales reflected light like jade. Her teeth and claws were black.
"And you too, Viserion, you little fool. You must obey your elder brother and sister." Gendry crouched again and stroked Viserion's head. He had a feeling the green dragon might be a she-dragon, though perhaps it was only his intuition.
"Hiss!" Viserion cried. The little dragon could hear people calling his name. Viserion's scales were mostly cream-colored, while his horns, wing bones, and spine were golden.
In truth, Gendry worried most about the white dragon. He was shy, much like Viserys the Beggar King. But the other side of shyness was instability. Unlike the black and green dragons, who were steadier and closer to them, the white dragon needed closer watching, lest he be drawn away by dragonseeds or a dragonhorn.
But I watched these dragons hatch, Gendry thought. With Daenerys and me here, we are still the closest to them. Besides, there is my power, the power of the Storm. And Dany's power, the power of the True Dragon. Since the dragons had been born from blood and fire, the two of them remained closest to them. The power in Gendry's bloodline was extremely strong, and Daenerys's was strong as well, making them the most attractive to the dragons. Dragonseeds with only a little dragon blood were not enough to change the situation.
The guards watched this miracle returned to the world, every pair of eyes fixed on the dragons. Pride rose naturally in their hearts.
"My lord, your armor," Brienne of Tarth, the Blue Knight, said as she approached.
Gendry looked at the black-scaled plate armor. The breastplate was inlaid with black and red crystal, forming the sigils of the crowned warhammer stag and the three-headed dragon. The armor looked dazzling, covered all over with the symbols of his house.
Nothing less than splendor can awe the world. Gendry took the armor. Though looking too striking would make him an easy target, it was undeniably beautiful and very much in the spirit of knighthood.
"Master Qyburn, remember to protect Daenerys and our 'children.' Keep an eye on the people on our list," Gendry instructed Qyburn. He still remembered Quaithe's warning: trust not the Kraken and black flame, the Titan and the Griffin, the Son of the Topless Tower and the Mummer's Dragon. Gendry believed the Son of the Topless Tower referred to Hightower. One branch of House Hightower had married into the Targaryens as well.
"As you command, Prince," Qyburn replied softly. "I have a detailed list here of famous mages and dragonblooded families across the known world. I promise to watch their movements. From House Cortnay of the Stormlands, to House Hightower of the Reach, even the Black Pearl of Braavos. Everything is included..."
Gendry had prepared a sufficiently elite force on Dragonstone: spearmen, crossbowmen, Maester Qyburn, and formidable guards.
Daenerys listened to their conversation. Dragons were priceless treasures, and those mages and suspicious people had to be treated with caution.
"Mm. I leave it all to you, Master Qyburn," Gendry said. War depended on intelligence, and Qyburn's intelligence network had contributed greatly to victory. Now it had also gained another function: guarding against magic.
"When will Marwyn arrive?" Gendry asked Qyburn. The mage Marwyn possessed a Valyrian steel link, a sign of his deep knowledge of magic and the occult.
"He should arrive soon. He has never broken a promise to me, and I believe he will want to see this miracle of dragons returning to the world. Dragons are something every mage longs for. Still, we must be careful of those gray sheep. They despise all strange powers and gods, and they are devoted to a world without magic."
"Mm." Gendry nodded. He was looking forward to meeting the man.
"War is about to begin," Daenerys said with concern.
"I hope I can seize the finest spoils as quickly as possible, my princess." Gendry kissed Daenerys lightly on the cheek.
"You will succeed, my Storm, my knight," Daenerys said.
"I want to go to battle with you, riding a dragon," Daenerys said expectantly. Her violet eyes were beautiful, while Gendry's eyes were bright blue.
"You will." Gendry smiled. Most people would never imagine that a dragon could grow to the size of a horse in two years, and that was Vhagar, the green dragon, second only to the black dragon.
"You must be very careful," Daenerys reminded him. The Storm made her laugh, but he also made her worry. He was the strongest warrior in the world, yet the battlefield was dangerous beyond measure.
"I will, my good princess. Besides, I am going to Sharp Point first, very close to Dragonstone," Gendry replied.
"We will take good care of the princess," Brienne promised.
Brienne of Tarth was to remain on Dragonstone to protect Daenerys, along with "the Good Man," Ser Bonifer Hasty, Queen Rhaella Targaryen's first love. After the Rhaella he loved married Aerys, he chose the Seven and laid down his lance. Ser Bonifer led the Holy Hundred Company, and he would do all he could to protect Queen Rhaella's last surviving child. The members of the Holy Hundred Company were well trained and disciplined, riding tall gray horses.
As Gendry left, Balerion spread his black wings and flapped lazily above his head, the wings brushing the Storm's face. The black dragon nimbly set one foot on his head and the other on his shoulder, then let out a sharp cry.
"All right, Balerion, I know you like clinging to me." Gendry rubbed the black dragon.
The black dragon snorted unhappily, smoke puffing from his nostrils, then began flying low again.
Daenerys watched them go. A new war was about to begin. She prayed to the gods above, wishing Gendry an even greater victory, and asking the Warrior and the Smith in the heavens to protect him. In truth, she understood little of the Seven. She was simply learning by imitation.
Gendry put on the black-scaled plate armor. Under the blazing sun, the sigils on the armor looked like roaring flames. The golden cloak over his shoulders was just as striking, its different images vivid and lifelike.
"May the Warrior protect us!"
"May the Warrior protect us!" the guards cheered loudly as Gendry walked out of the courtyard. Ser Barristan, Anguy, Anguy, Jon Snow, and the she-bear Dacey Mormont followed behind him.
At that moment, the Crackclaws controlled the area around Maidenpool, the Vale army was lodged at Duskendale, and the combined forces of the North and the Riverlands were recovering lost ground and striking at the lion's supply lines. The strongest fist, the Stormlands army, was already marching north in good order. The Stormlands were indeed very close to the Crownlands. With every side competing for the prize, the Lannisters were surrounded by ambushes on all fronts.
At the docks, beautiful sigils adorned the sails. Great Lord Stannis Baratheon currently bore the heavy responsibility of commanding the Royal Fleet and the reinforcements from the Twin Cities fleet, while Gendry personally commanded the land army. Stannis had always been better suited to naval warfare. In the original timeline, if he had not truly lacked a land commander he could trust, and if he had not somewhat underestimated the enemy, he would never have handed away command of the fleet.
"Prince Gendry, the fleet is ready," Great Lord Stannis said.
"Good, Lord Stannis. Proceed according to our original plan," Gendry said.
"As you command!" Stannis nodded. The fleet would be divided into three groups and arranged rather loosely. The largest group would feign an attack on Lannisport, making a great show of striking the Westerlands. The second group would strike the Blackwater Rush and attack King's Landing. The third group would serve as support and maintain contact with the other forces.
Dividing one's forces was usually a poor idea, but this was also a chance to lure the enemy in deep. That broken ditch of King's Landing was bait. The question was who would take it.
I hope my bait is sweet enough, Gendry thought.
At Maidenpool, Duskendale, Sharp Point, and Dragonstone, the Storm's golden banners flew everywhere. For now, it looked as though a great assault on King's Landing was about to begin.
Inside Harrenhal, Tywin was also forced to make a choice.